The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-03-19
The Tower of Babel.
From tie N. 7. Obserrer.


casioned much discussion and comment
The Tower itself, some remains of which
are still to be seen, was built of fire-burned
bricks, bitumen, cement and rushes, and
the ruins present the appearance of Wit
rifed mass
Josephus, the Greek historian, and the
Patriarch of Alexander, Eutychius, both
agree in naming the hunter Nimrod as the
builder of the Tower of Babel. This sup
posed protector of this mighty plan chose
the plain of Shinar, the valley of Rivers,
as the most favorable spot for the erection
of his tower, and began building about four
hundred years before the advent of the
ong-promised Messiah.
Much controversy has failed to decide
whether his object was to immortalize his
name, to visit the God preached by Abra-
ham, to escape from the consequences of
second deluge, or to attempt to thwart
Gods declared design concerning the dis
persion of the human race throughout all
parts of the earth. Tradition reports that
although the tower was once overthrow,
the mighty Nimrod, nothing daunted, re-
newed his efforts, and continued his labors
during forty years, at the end Of which
period swarm of gad-hies attacked his
workmen and stung many of them to death.
One of these troublesome insects even found
its way into Nimrod' brain, where it caused
him such intnlcfable pain that he had his
head =, p. me ioe~ D with mallet as the only
means of obtaining some relief. During
four years Nimrod continued this singular
treatment, which recalls the remedy used
by Jupiter when afflicted with the terrible
headache which heralded the birth of Mi
nerva.
On the site of the famous Tower arose
in later years the Temple of Belus, which
is described by Herodotus. Composed of
eight towers, built one on top of the other,
and connected by gigantic stairway, which
wound around the exterior, this building
rose to an immense height. st. Jerome
declares it was at least five thousand feet
high, and the rabbis record its height on
one occasion at 81 900 feet, and on another
at 10000. This last measure they de-
clare, was in honor of the seventy angels
who stand round about the throne Of the
Almighty.
This monument, the repository Of untold
treasures, was completely sacked by Xerxes,
King of Persia, and its materials were
largely used for the construction of many
new edifces Alexander the Great pro-
jected its restoration, promising to make it
larger and more magnificent than it had
ever been before; but although the jews
obstinately refused to help him, he secured
force of ten thousand men, who at the
end of two months of hard labor had not
yet succeeded in removing the accumulated
rubbish. Before the work of reconstruc-
ton was fairly begun, however, the young
conqueror had found an early grave, and
his plan was abandoned. Pliny speaks of
the ruins of the Tower of Babel, but from
his time to the sixteenth century no men
ton of them is to be found in the writings
of profane authors.
Renwoif, German physician, who fol-
lowed the course Of the Euphrates in 1914,
describes the ruins as place of refuge for
wild beasts; and in the seventeenth century
the famous Italian traveller, Pietro della
Vale, wrote very interesting description
of the remains of the world-renowned Tower
of Babel. In 1873 the site was visited by
Mr. Rich, and six years later by Sir Ker
Porter. In spite of the scventy-two event
full centuries which elapsed between the
description of Herodotus and that of the
last-named Englishman, their statements
coincide in so many ways that it is quite
evident they descrfSe .sts1v Piaee: uf :
The tradition of the building of tower
which was to reach Heaven has been handed
down in various forms among heather
nations. PRESCOTT, the historian of the
conquestof Mexico, describes the pyramidal
mound Of Cholula, one hundred and eighty
feet high, cased in sun-burned bricks. Ac-
cording to the natives this mound had been
built ''by family of giants, who had es-
capped the great inundation, and designed
to raise the building to the clouds" but
the gods, offended with their presumption,
sent fire from heaven on the pyramid, and
compelled them to abandon the attempt.
An English missionary reports the fol-
lowing tradition, which he CLEANED from a
tribe of negroes on the Gold Coast of
Guinea: In the beginning, sky rested
close to the earth. Those who wanted fish
struck the sky with stick, and immedi-
ately rain of fishes came down. One
day woman pounding grain in her mortar,
finding that she could not raise her pestle
high enough, babe the sky rise up little
higher. 1t complied with her demand,
and asked: as that enough ?" "No,''
cried the woman, "higher still !! Three
times the sky rose at her command, but the
third and last time it went up with such
bound that before she could bid it stop it
had gone so far that ever since then it can
scarcely hear when called upon. The
people, deprived of their usual supply Of
fish, greatly blamed the woman, and soon
after determined to reach the sky and at
tempt to pull it down to its former position
again. In order to do this they gathered
together all their mortars, and piled them
one on top of the other, until only one
more was needed to enable them to touch
the sky. Unfortunately, however, all the
mortars had already been used. They
were utterly at loss what to do, when one
of their number suddenly suggested taking
the mortar they had first laid to crown the
edifce. This brilliant suggestion was hailed
with enthusiasm, and Immediately put into
execution. But no sooner had they ex-
tracted the mortar from its place than the
whole construction came to the ground,
and would have killed them all had they
not fled in terror. Their fright was so
great, however, that they then and there
forgot the only language they had known,
and began to express themselves in different
tongues.
A legend almostsimilar to this is told of
the inhapitauts of Rota, in Andalusia.
These people are noted for innocence and
credulity no less than for the magnificent
fruits and vegetables they bear to the
market of Cadiz, in large, round baskets,
generally carried upon their heads, Once
upon time, it seems, the people Of Rota
resolved to climb up into the clouds, and
to achieve this purpose piled their market
baskets one on the top Of the other. Like
the negroes of the Gold Coast, they found
that one more basket was requisite to reach
their goal, and drew out the lowest one
from the pile, thus, like them, bringing